Pet Stories and Funny Animal Antics

This is Oly.

Pet Stories and Funny Animal Antics

(non-ferret but worth the read)

Our first day of 2012:

GORGEOUS weather New Year's day (sunny, mid 50's which is unseasonably warm for us this time of year) so I took Sadie to the dog park and, of course, she just HAD to plop herself down in the ONE mud puddle in the ENTIRE park!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!

Well, I wonder if she was thinking about that mud puddle while I was hosing her down in the tub! HA! That'll teach her! BUT . . . now she's all nice and pretty and soft and smells wonderful as you will see in the final few photos! Don't know how long that will last though; she's already been tearing up the backyard this morning - HA!

Enjoy!
Jen & Sadie – west coat -

On this page you will find stories and antics from other humans/care givers about their pets or charges.

Because we have many wild life rescue folks, and veterinarians a part of our lives here at the shelter we would like to share these stories that we get with you but would also like to point out that the humans that have these animals in their care are experts, trained caregivers to these animals.

The shelter director and our staff do not in any way suggest you try to care for the animals we share stories about on this page! We regard this activity with wildlife as a specialty that most of us have no business getting involved in; unless specifically trained to do so, we need to leave caring for wildlife to the trained experts.

The next chapter of the Squirrel Boys Saga

The first rule of visiting with the squirrel boys is not to take anything into the room that you aren't willing to relinquish. I know this rule better than most, but will often "bend" it slightly by hiding my snack and making sure the boys have something available that they like to nibble on (like a nut) and then eating my snack REALLY fast.

The second rule is to never have a closed fist. A closed fist ALWAYS means you are hiding something and you will pay immediate consequences, including the shredding of every bit of skin that was ever attached to the evil hand which HAD to be hiding an acorn.

The third rule is that they will try to copy human behavior whenever something unnatural presents. Oly will try to spoon feed himself, and Quinn actually drinks from glasses (not just laps the top).

So, I was hopeful of drinking a quick glass of cranberry juice while the boys worked on brazil nuts. The urologist told me to stay well hydrated, and I figured I could down 12 ounces of juice while they worked on their nuts. Brazil nuts have a thick shell, and it will generally take several minutes to get the job done. I set the nuts on the "nut stand" in the middle of the room (since I can't hold the nuts, there is a dedicated "nut gathering area") and hid my cranberry juice on an unobvious corner of the nightstand.

Quinn dashed out of the cage, and was immediately obviously suspicious I was hiding something. Instead of diving for the Brazil nuts, as he normally would, he did a quick lap around the room first. I let Oly out of his cage, and made a quick dash towards the nightstand. I'm not quite up to speed yet since the surgery, and I have never been a match for a squirrel on a mission.

You probably already know where this story is going.

Quinn found the cranberry juice seconds before I got there. He grasped the 12 ounce glass firmly in both hands and sat up on his haunches, since the glass is almost as tall as he is. Like a weight lifter, he took a deep breath and hoisted my glass up towards his face. And up. And higher. And OVER! He lost control of the glass as it got near his head, and dumped the ENTIRE glass of juice on his head.

Not only did I have a HUGE of sticky juice spreading out along the top (and sides) of the nightstand, but I had a drenched, sticky squirrel racing around the room in a combination of delight, excitement, and pride of discovery - wearing a plastic juice glass on his head.

Needless to say, the WHITE carpeting and winter flannel sheets all took a beating. As did the mirror, nightstand, and every other piece of exposed wood in the entire room. Oly had to be involved, as well, so he "helped" me chase Quinn around with a t-shirt (the first item I saw capable of sopping up some of the juice he was spreading everywhere!).

Life with squirrels never gets dull.................

I fed the squirrels dinner around 7pm -- they get fruit for dinner (veggies for breakfast) in addition to their squirrel food. Quinn is a consumer, but Oly is a saver - often choosing to eat his fruit for breakfast the next day instead of immediately.

When I eat dinner around 8:30pm, I often share a little with them. Tonight, I made Pillsbury Crescent Rolls to go with my dinner - and I thought those, warm out of the oven, would be the perfect bedtime snack for the boys.

Oly took his piece of roll and disappeared upstairs, which is odd for him. He came out with his strawberry from dinner which he had hidden away in his stash. He very carefully rolled up the strawberry in the warm crescent roll -- and had a little strawberry sandwich for dinner!

Isn't that just adorable! Such smart animals.
Wildlife Caregiver friend